Automatic wagon-brake.



J. G. DUNHAM.

AUTOMATIC WAGON BRAKE.

APPLICATION IILED mm: 19,1908.

91 3,272. Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

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Inventor.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT orrroa JOSEPH O. DUNHAM, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA.

AUTOMATIC WAGON-BRAKE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr O. DUNHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oklahoma city, in the county of Oklahoma and State ofOklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticWagon-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic wagon brakes, in which a plurality ofsprings are secured to the rear axle of the wagon and to the brake beamto press the brake-blocks against the periphery of the rear wagonwheels, the pressure of the brake-blocks being adjustable by means ofthreaded nuts having handles for turning them; by means of a rodattached to the center of the doubletree and to a pair of leversconnected with the brake beam the pulling of the team forces the saidbrake beam forward and disengages the brake-blooks from the wheels; by abell-crank-lever and chain connected with said rod the brake may bereleased at any time, all of which will hereinafter be fully explainedand pointed out in the claim.

The objects of my invention are; first, to provide'a brake which will beautomatic in operation relieving the team of the necessity of holdingback while oing down grades; second, to relieve the driver of attentionand operation of the brake; third to provide an automatic brake whichmay be released at will. I accomplish these objects by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of an ordinary farmwagon provided with one of my brakes; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same wagonwith the box or bed removed; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of one of theduplicate socket-studs on line a: Fig. 2; Fig. 4: is a horizontalsection on line :0 Fig. 2 to show one view of the releasing block; Fig.5 is a plan view of a portion of the doubletree; Fig. 6 is a perspectiveof one of the threaded nuts having a handle.

I Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the wagon box and B and Bindicate the rear and front bolsters upon which the wagon box rests, thebox being removed in Fig. 2 to avoid obscuring various parts; Dindicates the reach, its rear portion being broken Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed. June 19, 1908.

Patented Feb. 23, 1909.

Serial No. 439,350.

away; E and E indicate the rear hounds, which with the reach supportsthe brakesupport F, when the wagon box is removed, in which case thebrake-beam G is entirely dependent upon said support F, but during theservice of the wagon box A the said brake-beam depends for its supportupon the duplicate brake hanging straps a carrying the links b securedin the eye-bolts c which are secured in the brake-beam G, having securedthereto the brake-blocks H and H. To provide that the said brakeblooksshall, normally, press against the peripheries of the rear wheels I ofthe wagon the tension spiral springs d and e are provided, having theirfront ends secured in the ends of the adjusting lever f which is securedto the central portion of the brake-beam G by the duplicate clevisstrapsg and the bolts or rivets h and h extending through their ends. See Fig.2. The rear end of said spiral spring 6 is hooked into an eye-bolt jpassing through the rear axle and provided with a threaded nut 9" havinga sliding bar handle 7' for turning the same to regulate the more pernianent pressure of the brake, see Figs. 2 and 6. For temporaryadjustments the smaller and weaker spiral spring cl is socured to thelong arm of the adjusting lever f, the stem portion 7.: of the spring dextends rearwardly through the rear axle of the wagon, said stem portionbeing threaded and provided with a handle-nut It" to regulate thetension for light and heavy loads, the greater the weight of the loadthe greater the tension should be.

To provide the mechanism for the pulling of the team to release ordisengage the brake the brake-beam G has secured to the rear edge,intermediate its center and ends, two similar push-rods Z and Z eachhaving its rear end turned at a right angle forming a stem as m and mwhich are threaded and provided with nuts; the said stems are pivotallysecured in the push levers n and a near their heels or outer ends whichare perforated and pivotally secured on the right-angled threaded andnutted stem portion 0 of the duplicate lever pivotal rods 0 having theirbody portions 0 threaded and provic ed with nuts 0, the said rods beingto support the heavy ends of the said levers and to adjust the same; tosupport said rods the duplicate socket studs p are provided and arefirmly secured to the front portion of the rear axle near its ends, andto .pre-.

vent the threads on the rodso from Wearing, the bushing 39 of leather orother sultable material is inserted in thezopeningofsaid studs, seeFigs. 2 and 3. In front of the rear axle, parallel-thereto.andmidwaybetween said studs t-he'push levers n and n are pivotally attached,prefer-ablybyduplicate clevis-straps 9 having their endspivotally.rivete.d thronghzthe pnshilevers wand a.- one 1 of saidlevers, preferably 5%, having its smaller free end;.bent forward andterminate in a hookrzto-Which:the bnake regni ded by the eye-boltssecured in the I front portion ofthe rear. hound E and the-eye; bolt 8passing laterally through the front end. of the reach D. That thepulling. of the team may release Zthe brake ithe donbletree; J and theswingletrees K Kmustzhaveea free forward and backward movement of sixoreight inches,.to provide for this movement the ordinary hammer-strapis.substituted'bv a metallic guiding plate 4) having'its front .or headendbent downward and forward. and bolted tothetongueL,.-its. body portionhaving a longitudinal slot 4) and its rear; portion terminating inlateral arm membersj "a and 'v"having .theirendsbent down-f ward andrearward and bolted to the? tonguerhounds M .and M on a verticallinewith said front end. of said slot 0) aholeis bored through .the Wagon:tongue .and the wagon wrench e0 isinserted-in said holefor .the frontedge of thedoubletree J tocontact with while the team is pulling thewagon. See F1gs..1,.2 and 5. To maintain .the center ofthe doublet-reeJoverthe center of'the tongue L thecentering stud yis driven part waythrough .the doubletree J midway its ends. To prevent .the .release ordisengagement of the brake a vertical hole g/ is bored through thetongue immediately in front of the doubletree-whenthc team is notpulling and the wagon-wrench handle is placed in said hole.

To move the wagon backward by team, or to move it by hand,.-a noveldevice is constructed consisting of a releasing .block 1 firmly securedto the rear surfacecf the front bolster B by means of itsabody-portion2; from-theupper-portionof the body of said block an arm 3projects"rearwardly its end having therein a .lateralopening .in

which the bell-crank lever 4 restsand rotates, said lever beingsupportedby-the eyevbolt8 in the bolster B and having .a'hand portion 4and. a right-angled releasing arm from rotating too far and checking thesame when justxpastthe center. -See;Figs. 11,12. and 4.

To :attachathe chain. t to f the doubletree. .J .;anueyebolt:mayzbe=secured in the doubletreezjand :p'roject s rearwardly, as in: thepresent -case,;or a. donbletree casement. J. maybe nse'dfhaving :arearwarfd 1: staple m and .121

front bolt-seat J as shownin 1F ig. .5.

1n ope-ration,;the wagon beingatrrestiand the brake. set, as the teamimoves forward from theposition; showninzlfig. 211101116 one:showninyFig. 1, with the donitletree Contact ;ing hvii hi the draw+boltor .wagon vrench .120. which: by 1110:1118 of the .releasing rod .9 band;the leversm and n and the push, rods: Z and @Z .force the :b-rake-beam1G forward disengaging thebrakerblocks:HrandH from the wheels 1. :SeeFig.2. To use therbrake to prevent :the team from .moving w ien itidesired -.that they should stand, :place the d'rawebolt intthe.-ho1e 3yin the'ztongnewin front of the doublet-rec. iTO' release the brake for.moving. the-wagon backward or by hand graspztherhand portion 4 of thebell-crank- .-lever 4 and rotate it .IGHYWVHTCI, which by means of thechain 6 and the rods the .engagement ofthebrakeiis released. .Seehigs.1, 2 ;and-,4r. Normally: the. brake inactive service and. thedraft of;the team. releases it, .the tension of;the springscperating as .acushion to 'rtheteam in starting loads. To maintain the: push lever-s n:andm, on aplane with. their outer ends a Ushapedb.ar Whas iits endsbolted' to the under l side of one of the .rear hounds and has its bodyportion contact .with .the .under side .of one of the said levers. Toprotect.the;push.bars, spiral springsetc. "the protection board N issecured to the upper portion of the rear .hounds.immediatelyin frontofthe 1 rearbolster, see .Fig. 1, it'beingomitted from Fig. 2 to preventobscurity.

-.Having thus described my=in-vention, wh-at LI claimas newtand'desireto secure by Letter-s Patent is -.In {an automatic Wagon Ibrake having:a brake-beam with brake-blocks; a plurality of spiral springsadjustably secured 1to.the rear axle of the wagon andlhaving their frontends pivotally secured in the router ,endsofan adjusting-lever f beingpivotally attachedto the centr-algportion of'the said brake-beam itonormally ;press the -.bra-keblocks :against the periphery 'of ;the rearwheels. of the wagon a pair of push-bars .or rods having their feet.secured :to .the rear 913,272 are edge of said brake-beam and havingtheir bodies extend rearward for the purpose of forcing the brake-beamforward; a pair of push-levers in line with the rear axle and in frontthereof having their outer ends pivotally secured to pivotal rods 0 andhaving their inner ends attached to move in unison, the inner end of oneof said levers being bent forward and terminating in a hook r, the saidlevers having the rear ends of the said push bars pivotally secured insaid levers near their outer ends to force the brakebeam forward; a pairof socket-studs secured to the front surface of the rear axle each ofsaid studs having a bushing p in its opening to support and relieve fromwear the pivotal rod 0 having an adjusting nut abutting against saidstud; a U-shaped lever support it having its ends secured to the underside of one of the rear hounds and having its body portion contact theunder side of one of the said push levers to maintain them in line withthe axle; a guiding plate over the doubletree and having a head end bentdownward and forward and bolted to the tongue, its body portion having aslot therein and having a rearward termination, of two arm membershaving their feet bolted to the tongue hounds to retain the doubletreein place and permit it to move forward and back; a releasing rod 8having one of its ends attached to the said doubletree and its oppositeend hooked onto the end of the push lever n; to release the brake; areleasing block having a body 2 secured to the rear surface of the frontbolster, a rearwardly extending arm 3 with an opening in its end andfrom the top of said arm intermediate its ends a stud 7 projects towardthe reach of the wagon; a bell-crank-lever 4 having the inner end of itsbody portion resting in said opening and having a lateral arm forattaching the releasing chain thereto, the outer end of said bodyportion being supported by an eye-bolt secured lat erally in the end ofthe bolster, the outer end of said body portion being bent at a rightangle to form a handle to rotate it to release the brake, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH C. DUNHAM.

\Vitnesses EMORY H. DUNI-IAM, C. M. CARLEE.

